How Social Media Platforms Influence User Beliefs and Behaviors
Friday, November 1, 2024 11 AM to 12 PM
About this Event
6760 Forest Park Pkwy, St. Louis, MO 63105, USA
https://cse.washu.edu/news-events/colloquia-series.htmlHussam Habib
The information we consume shapes our thoughts and behavior. With eight out of ten U.S. adults engaging with content on social media platforms, understanding the downstream impact of these platforms and the algorithm-driven content within is more imperative. In this talk, I explore how content curation algorithms and social media platforms influence user behavior. I address key questions such as: How do people adopt new ideas online? In what ways do search engines reinforce our ideologies? And how do social media platforms construct home pages that shape our experiences? I will present our findings on how platforms influence user behavior, and share our methods we've developed to mitigate this influence. Finally, I will discuss future directions and investigations that can help us understand our interactions and relationships with social media platforms—ultimately guiding us toward more transparent and user-centric online environments.